


Hell and High Water

by retribution



Category: Free!
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Food, Food Issues, M/M, No Homo, Swimming, Team Bonding, Teasing, Training, Unresolved Tension, all the homo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2015-04-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 15:26:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2552450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/retribution/pseuds/retribution
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rei training with Rin, those butterfly cookies, and the tragic aftermath thereof.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Go All Out

He couldn’t imagine why Rei thought he would agree to put them through this again.  Personally training a newbie swimmer from another school, a potential rival, who didn’t even know how to swim until last year, who had been unteachable by the others as well as Rin himself; the ludicrousness of Rei’s situation should have prompted him to immediately say no.  But Rei was watching him intently, his solemn determined expression now edged with desperation, and Rin could not find it in himself to refuse.

“Fine, I’ll teach you the other strokes,” Rin told him, making a show of relenting.  “But I’ve got club duties and my own training to do, you better take this seriously and keep up.”

Rei’s eyes widened, and he ducked his head in thanks and exclaimed, “I will do my best, Rin-san, you will not be disappointed!”

“Right.”  Rin had his doubts as to their success, if his last attempt to teach Rei was any indicator of the depths of disappointment to be experienced, though he kept this to himself and only said, “Club practice is over at six thirty on schooldays, so meet me tomorrow at eight, by the courtyard, and we’ll see how things go after an hour.  Does that work for you?”

Brimming over with relief, Rei nodded energetically.  “Thank you again!  I cannot express my gratitude enough---”

“Yeah, I’d save your thanks until after,” Rin interrupted, as he escorted the other boy off Samezuka grounds.  Because Rei was asking him for a miracle, and he wasn’t sure he could produce.  On the other hand, Rei had also given him a chance to swim the relay with Haruka and Makoto and Nagisa again, the opportunity of a lifetime he needed but did not deserve.  For that, he owed Rei everything.  He had to try and pay back his debt to the one who made it happen, even if it would take the rest of his life.

 

* * *

 

After watching Rei flounder and thrash about in the water for twenty minutes, Rin had the sinking feeling this really might take the rest of his life.  The very start of their session seemed promising; Rei’s butterfly was imperfect, inefficient, but he had improved dramatically since last year and had even put on a respectable performance at their most recent joint meet.  Shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for him to learn the other strokes with that much more experience under his belt, Rin figured, so very naively.

That all changed once Rei demonstrated what he could of the front crawl, breast and back stroke.  It was actually unnerving how quickly he dropped to the bottom of the pool during each attempt like some sort of human-shaped anchor.  Not for the first time, Rin wondered if maybe speedo glasses freak was destined for diving instead of swimming, what with the perfect leaps and flawless point of entries, since that would at least take away the burden of having to actually swim, and he could wear those tiny briefs apparently everyone was constantly trying to get him to wear.  Too bad there was no such thing as a high school diving team…

On further (somewhat heated) questioning, Rin could not ferret out any real deficiency in Rei’s theoretical knowledge of swimming.  Rei knew what to do, when to do it, even the physics and physiology behind each stroke, all to an excessive level of detail.  He simply could not pull everything together, no matter how many ways Rin tried to explain, how many diagrams he drew on the club whiteboard, how many times he personally demonstrated, complete with sound effects, how to be moving. 

Just like before, Rei would insist that he understood, but every time he set out into the water, he would end up struggling to the surface, spluttering in bewildered frustration while Rin stared at him in disbelief.

“Okay, stop, stop,” Rin called out after another failed attempt at the front crawl, and a sheepish Rei paused to pull off his goggles and blink in Rin’s general direction. 

“Look, Rei, you’re overthinking this,” Rin told him bluntly.

“You can’t overthink---” but Rei was cut off by a withering glare.

“You are definitely overthinking.  You get that constipated look on your face and you tighten up and that’s when you start flopping around like a dying fish on land.”

Rei looked every inch offended by this unflattering description.  “Well, I can’t help it! If I don’t think about how I am swimming, I would sink! This isn’t easy for me like it is for you, there is no need to be so harsh!”

“Ugh, don’t give me that bullshit, Rei.  You know exactly what to do.”  He did, he had literally repeated word for word a passage from one of the swimming manuals Rin had lent him months ago.  “It’s not like you can forget all that in the middle of a race.  Your problem is something else.”

“I don’t understand,” Rei said, indignant and embarrassed and trying his best to hide it.  “What could it be?  I read all the books, I’ve studied the videos, I’ve had everyone I know, even you, coach me.  Why can’t I swim?”

Rin sighed, running a hand through his hair, trying to think.  All right, what was Rei doing the times he did swim successfully?  Like when he swam the butterfly leg of the relay for Iwatobi at the prefectural tournament last year.  Rin had been in the stands, watching.  (Well, bitching mostly, but he was watching, too.)  Back then, Rei didn’t look like he was trying to pass a kidney stone during the middle of a college level calculus exam.  He had looked focused, but not so much on beauty or speed or form as much as getting back to his waiting teammates.

Maybe that was the sort of encouraging feeling he needed to inspire within Rei again.  The way Haruka’s style of swimming had inspired Rin…

“Let’s try something else.”  Rin began leading Rei by the hands, towing him along as he stepped backwards down the length of the pool, then letting him go.

“All right, I’ll be over here, you just swim towards me, without the butterfly, as fast as you can, got it?” 

Rei nodded firmly.

“Now go!”

It took a moment as Rei automatically started out with the butterfly and tried to correct mid-stroke with hilarious results.  And as predicted, he sank again, but not after a few breast-like strokes that were sort of splashing more at the surface than at the bottom.  For the sake of his sanity, Rin decided to count that as a sign that he did not in fact waste forty five minutes of his life on a hopeless case.  Evidence that he just needed to up his coaching game, by a lot, and maybe pray more often than he usually did.

Before Rei could smash his face against the floor of the pool, Rin waded forward, dipping down into the water and pulling him to the surface by one arm.  It was probably unnecessary, Rei would eventually realize and get back to his feet, but one could never be too careful around disaster-prone and apparently heavy as a metric ton of lead Rei.  Must be all those runner’s muscles, Rin thought sourly, not too pleased with the significant twinge in his hip and shoulder from having to push off so hard.

“That was… not worse,” Rin finally said, while watching Rei shake his dripping hair out of his eyes.  “You swam, what, almost a meter of breast stroke before you sank.”

But instead of his usual loud laugh followed by an equally embarrassing unsubstantiated declaration, Rei was frowning at him, eyes narrowed.  Realizing just then that he had been holding onto Rei’s bicep for at least seven seconds longer than would be considered necessary, Rin quickly let go and cleared his throat.

“Uhh… yeah.  So.  Yep.”

Rei still did not move, staring transfixed at where the palm of his left hand had grazed the skin of Rin’s chest during that brief moment of contact.

“Rin-san…” he breathed, his eyes sliding up as his hand skated down the other swimmer’s abs, meeting Rin’s increasingly horrified gaze head on. 

Stuttering and flushing, Rin tried to think of something cool and heterosexual to say, but he had already made the mistake of looking right into those shimmering eyes, and as a result, could only get out a “Gnrrrkh?”

Then Rei, demonstrating his usual lack of filter between brain and mouth, asked, “Rin-san, do you shave, too?”

“…Huh?”  His train of thought completely derailed off the tracks and crashing and burning half the countryside, Rin fought for a coherent response, while his rebelling brain happily let itself be distracted by the scrape of Rei’s fingernails against his forearm.

“How incredible!  This must be an elite technique,” Rei continued blithely.  “I did not think it was possible to achieve such smoothness by ordinary methods.  How often do you---?”

“What the hell does this have to do with learning to swim?!” Rin growled the moment he found his voice, yanking Rei’s hands away from where they had reached around to linger at the small of his back.  “And what do you mean, too?!”

“That is, when I hit a wall, Nagisa had insisted I shave in order to decrease water resistance and shorten my times,” Rei said, tapping a finger on his chin and clearly ignoring Rin fuming red-faced beside him.  “And even though I protested its applicability, I ended up shaved anyway.  However if Rin-san, a far more experienced swimmer, shaves, then logically there is no reason for me not to continue!”

“Don’t just decide something like that!” Rin retorted, trying to not shriek and barely managing to do so.  (Although the fact that Nagisa was involved did not surprise him in the least.)

“So… you think I shouldn’t shave?” Rei asked, and Rin was sure he was smiling just a little too knowingly, a little too, well, Nagisa-like, to be 100% innocent.  “Why not?  It seems to be working for you.”

“I… I am not continuing this conversation.”  To emphasize his point, Rin whirled around in a huff and swam off to the pool’s edge, glad for the cool water splashing over his overheated face.

“Does that mean you wax instead?” Rei called out, wading after the other swimmer.

“What did I just say, huh?!” Rin shouted, on his way out of the pool, and unsurprised to hear Rei splashing to a stop behind him.

“But who does your back?” Rei persisted, the spirit of investigation ringing clear in his voice.

“Oh. My. God.”

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Rin took a deep breath before turning to glare at Rei, who was watching him from the water.  They stared at each other for a few tense seconds.  Unexpectedly, Rei lowered his eyes first, a wistful half-smile softening his features, a smile that to Rin seemed out of place, so unlike his usual awkwardly confident expression.

“You’re right, Rin-san.  This has nothing to do with learning how to swim.  I just… I did not know that about you, and I thought I was the only one.  I did not mean to get carried away.  Please forget I said anything.”  He glanced up at Rin, the picture of unspoken apology.

Now Rin felt a little bad for all the times he could have talked to Rei while hanging out with Haruka and Makoto and Nagisa, and never did.  Sure, there was that one completely fruitless afternoon late last summer, the first time he tried to teach Rei how to swim, and Gou was always on his case trying to get him to play nice whenever they all met up together, which he grudgingly obliged.  But for the most part, he rarely offered anything that wasn’t asked for, and Rei did little to disturb their not-unfriendly status quo.  All this time, Rin never stopped to think how Rei must feel, giving away his chance to swim the relay with his friends to someone he barely knew, and never really got to know except through second-hand or third-hand gossip.  Of course he would jump on this revelation, any revelation, no matter how weird.

“Well, I guess I don’t mind if you know,” Rin mumbled mostly to the floor.   “Everyone does it, if they’re serious about going pro.  Just don’t go telling the whole world, all right?”

“I promise I will not tell anyone else, Rin-san,” Rei assured him, sounding almost back to normal.  “I would have to explain how I knew, and I would prefer to keep these lessons a secret from the others, if you recall…”

Right, this was supposed to be a surprise, assuming they ever succeeded.  Fine, whatever.  “Yeah, I do.”  Out of the corner of his eye, Rin checked the wall clock and then said to Rei, “Hey, it’s almost nine.  You should get out and shower, before you miss your train.  We can… talk later.”

Leaning down by the poolside, Rin put his hand out, and Rei took a firm hold of it.  However, because he was thinking of how heavy Rei had felt before, not noticing that Rei was bracing himself at the same time, Rin compensated with way too much force, and thus ended up falling flat on his ass with Rei half sprawled over him.

For some reason, the sight of Rei’s astonished face, his embarrassment at narrowly missing ramming a knee into his ex-rival’s junk, caused Rin to burst into laughter.

“I am so sorry, Rin-san!” Rei blurted out, scrambling to his feet.  “Are you all right?”  He looked distressed, comically so, as if this was his fault and not (partly) Rin’s.  “I didn’t injure you?”

Still chuckling, Rin waved him off with a light-hearted “I’m fine, get out of here already!”  He watched as Rei hurried to the showers, then got up to change into his own sweats in thoughtful silence.

As impossible as it seemed at first, Rin managed to survive the hour.  Rei would require a few more lessons at this rate, if one were to interpret “few” as “a lot,” and there promised to be several opportunities for him to test what was left of Rin’s patience that had not already been worn thin by Momotarou’s antics.  Yet despite all that, Rin found himself looking forward to the challenge, to succeed where even Haruka could not.  If nothing else, he was guaranteed to get a good laugh or two at Rei’s expense.  Now that would be worth any price, Rin thought, smiling to himself.

* * *

 

They walked back to the station without saying much, and it was only under the glow of lamplight at the train stop that Rei finally spoke up.

“Rin-san… I would like to thank you again for letting me infringe upon your evening,” he began, so nervous and formal, that Rin had to cut him off right there.

“You already told me, I know.”

“I will get it next time, I am positive.”

“You think there’s gonna be a next time?” Rin asked incredulously.

Rei stared at him, eyebrows raised, mouth open in apprehension.  “…Is that incorrect?”

“Let’s get something straight, Rei.  You swam so terribly today, I wanted to die.  I’m good, but even I can’t help you, not where you are right now.  That’s the truth.”

With each ruthless word, Rei’s expression fell, and he shook his head, as if trying to deny what he was hearing.  Rin grabbed him by his jacket collar, forcing him to look up.

“Hey, are you listening to me?”

“What do you want me to do?  What am I supposed to do?!”  Rei’s eyes flashed bright in the darkness. He was still on the defense, Rin realized, still striving even in the face of humiliating defeat.  “I can’t let them down again!  Rin-san, you are the only one left who can help me.  Please…”

There it was.  For all of Rei’s idiosyncrasies that had rubbed him the wrong way since their first encounter, this never changed, this pure-hearted unwavering loyalty that fueled his every action.  Something Rin could use a little more of, frankly.  He made a little tch noise under his breath, though more fond than annoyed, and let Rei go. 

“Haruka, Nagisa, Makoto, they’re your friends now, Rei, just as much as they were mine, and now, maybe more.  They need you for the relay team, but they’d never want to hurt your feelings, ever.  They’re way too soft for that, trust me.”  In response to Rei’s abrupt exhalation, Rin added with a sharp grin, “Yeah, yeah, I would know, wouldn’t I?”

The slightest shadow of a smile made its way across Rei’s face.

“I’m guessing they’re the first real friends you’ve had in a while, so you don’t want to disappoint or upset them, either, right?” Rin asked him, getting a nod from Rei.  He continued, feeling a little self-conscious about the impromptu lecture, but wanting more than ever before to clear things up between them.  “Look, you’re not going to get better like this, you can't improve without a fight.  And well, you’ve already fought me, and I told you I wouldn’t go easy on you.  But you’ve got to remember, I’m on your side.  That’s why I need you to trust me.  I need you to be honest with me, tell me everything that’s going on in that big brain of yours.”  He poked Rei in the forehead then, and Rei scrunched up his eyebrows in a manner that was not completely adorable at all.

“So no more excuses this time around, no flaking out on me!” Rin told him sternly, the coach once more.  “From now on, we’re going to do whatever it takes, together.”

“Yes,” Rei murmured, straightening his glasses on his nose before meeting Rin’s gaze.  “Together.” 

They looked up as the train rounded the corner, slowing to a stop with a squeal of brakes. With another bow and a soft “thank you,” Rei turned and made his way to the opening doors of the train.  But not before Rin grabbed him by the sleeve, to tell him one last thing before shoving him, squawking, into the car.

Serves him right for bringing up the topic, Rin thought smugly, waving back in glee as Rei’s red face gaped at him from the window.  He couldn’t wait until tomorrow evening, to see if the nerd baby would actually go through with it.  Rin was grinning so hard all the way back to the dorms and through his shower, Sousuke actually noticed as soon as he walked into their room, and began teasing him about his obviously successful secret date.

“What the hell, man?!” Rin snarled, throwing a pillow at him.  He hadn’t even realized he was looking foolish and blamed Rei for passing on his special brand of ridiculousness.

“Not a date?  Then what?  Oh, something you can’t tell even me, huh?”

“I was… giving a private swim lesson,” Rin muttered, knowing Sousuke would wring the truth out of him eventually.

“Who at Samezuka needs a swim lesson?”

“Urgh, fine, don’t tell anyone, but it’s Ryuuguzaki, the butterfly swimmer from Iwatobi, all right?  He uh, doesn’t swim the other strokes, so I’m coaching him.”

“Hm.”  Sousuke did not say anything else, only settled back onto his bunk with no intention of returning Rin’s pillow.  Just when Rin thought he had let it go, Sousuke got up on one elbow, smiling.

“So, a date.”


	2. I've Studied the Theory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei's chapter, with 200% more dorkiness, which I don't even know is possible.

Rei spent almost three minutes frozen in hesitation in the Samezuka locker room, worrying that today would be a repeat of yesterday, that he would fail in making progress learning the other strokes, that Rin would give up trying to teach him and tell him to go home and stop wasting both of their time, and he would be forever known by future swim club members as that hopeless former runner who could only swim butterfly.  Then he sighed and told himself that he was being silly.  Rin was the best all-around swimmer he knew.  He will surely succeed in coaching him this time.  At any rate, Rei was not going to learn how to swim by staring at his feet and fretting needlessly.

After taking one last deep breath, Rei finally pulled his t-shirt over his head.  During the milliseconds his vision plunged into a sea of yellow knit cotton, he did not see Rin walk in and was entirely unprepared for a gentle tap on his shoulder and a soft “Oi.”

Not surprisingly, Rei screamed and simultaneously set a new record for the standing high jump somewhere, to Rin’s obvious amusement.

“Whoa, you okay there, Rei?”

“Rin-san!  What was that for?!” Rei exclaimed irritably, bristling like a cat as he clutched his shirt to his chest.

“What, you were taking forever to change, just wanted to make sure we were still doing this.” 

“Of course!  Why wouldn’t I be?” he huffed.  In an effort to slow his racing heart and regain his composure, Rei slid his folded clothes and backpack neatly into the spare locker, checking to make sure everything was in its place before turning back to face Rin. “I assure you, I am more than ready.  I even did as you advised last night in preparation.”

With an eyebrow raised, Rin gave him a thorough once-over, from the top of his mussed up hair to bottom of his legskin-clad calves.  Then he grinned, looking pleased.  “Yeah, that’s an elite technique, all right.  I thought you were looking fresh when you came in.”

“Well, I don’t know how you can tell, as there is nothing overtly different about my appearance,” Rei muttered, aware of his already sun-flushed cheeks warming even more and trying to hide that fact by pushing up his glasses with one hand.  (As he was not wearing his glasses, he only succeeded in poking his eyes.)  “H-here, if you want to check.”  He held out his arm to Rin, who looked at him as if both Christmas and his birthday came early.

“Oh my God, are you serious?”

“Rin-san, I am always serious.”

  
“I know, I know.  I don’t even know why I doubted that you’d do it, of course you would, and perfectly, too.”  Rin laughed, and Rei could not help but notice he had turned a little pink around the ears, too.  “C’mon,” he said, “we need to get started if we’re going to get anywhere tonight.”

He did take the offered arm though, if only to lead him out to the pool, and they said not one word more about the details of manscaping in order to achieve the perfect drag-less hair-free body.

  

* * *

 

 

 

Even with Rin using his most encouraging explanations and supportive techniques tonight, Rei could not manage more than a few haphazard strokes before sinking into the water again.  Still, that was much better than any previous attempt, and though the slow progress frustrated him a little, Rei sensed a faint hope blooming within as he pushed off the wall and tried yet again.  Just one more time, he told himself, I can do this, I will get it.

While Rei stopped to catch his breath, Rin, who had been hovering in the lane beside him, shot ahead with the front crawl to swim to the pool’s edge.  At the wall of the pool, he turned and transitioned into the breast stroke, eating up the meters with ease, then pushed off the other side, swimming the back stroke to end up back where Rei stood watching him.

“That was beautiful, Rin-san!” Rei said, simply and honestly and just a little enviously.

“Well, don’t copy that last turn, that was not regulation,” Rin responded in a brisk tone, still floating on his back, as if relaxing.  After a brief moment, he got to his feet and stared thoughtfully at Rei, who gazed back at him in his fearless manner.

“What are you thinking?”

“Hm?”  That Rin-san’s swimming was beautiful, did he not just say that?

“I mean, what exactly do you think about when you’re swimming?”

Rei frowned a little.  So many things, it was hard to even start.  “I think about… angle of entry, basic fluid dynamics, how turbulence is affecting velocity, Newtonian fluid in motion, compensation for drag and resistance, gravity versus forward acceleration, the timing of the downward stroke, relative strength of the kick…”

Nodding, Rin gave him an encouraging, if somewhat overwhelmed, smile.  “Anything else? Anything not math or physics-related?”

He shook his head.  “I don’t really have time to think of anything else.”

“There you go, that’s how you know you’re overthinking.”  Rin scratched the back of his head in mild amusement.  “I’m pretty sure I only understood half the stuff you just mentioned, but I can tell it’s all important to you, so I won’t tell you to not think it.”

“Oh.”

“The thing is, we’re not at that level yet for these strokes you don’t know,” Rin continued.  “So I want you to tune those numbers and formulas out just a little while we get the basics down.  Then you’re free to nerd out all you want afterwards.  Can you do that for me, Rei?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Rin flicked him on the forehead again, teasingly.  “Wrong answer.”

“Y-yes, I will!” Rei blurted out.

“Better.”

And just like that, he did do better, if only slightly.  There was still that constant susurrus of his own monotone voice in his head, numerals and variables and geometric figures and Cartesian planes flashing constantly before his eyes, but now there was Rin’s perfect form leading the way by example as well, and Rin’s carefully enunciating voice lending guidance alongside his own.

 

* * *

 

 

Before he knew it, it was time to go, and Rei had never felt so disappointed to leave the pool.

“Good job out there,” Rin told him before they headed to the showers.

“Really?  But I still couldn’t swim the other strokes without sinking…”

“You listened, didn’t complain or give up, you’re doing everything right, Rei.  It’s only a matter of time.” 

Rei smiled at him gratefully.  “Thank you, Rin-san.  That means a lot coming from you.”  He felt his face grow hot again, but plunged forward anyway, as Rin would have wanted.  “But I couldn’t have done this much without seeing Rin-san’s beautiful swimming up close.”

“Oh?  My swimming is beautiful?” Rin’s gaze was suddenly piercing.  “As beautiful as Haruka’s?”

“Umm…  I…”

“Ah, you don’t have to answer that.  I wouldn’t make you choose between your senpai and me.”  Despite his tough words, he nevertheless looked extremely disappointed at Rei’s hesitation, trying to hide it by looking stoically into the distance.

Rei sighed.  Rin-san really was overdramatic, the others were not exaggerating about that.  “Haruka-senpai’s swimming is always beautiful and inspiring,” he stated, wanting to clarify, “but Rin-san’s swimming is… cool… and the style I would choose for myself, without question.”

There was a slight sniff, and Rin was now looking at him with overly bright eyes.  “I-I’m pretty cool, yeah.”

“Very cool,” Rei repeated for emphasis, then dashed off to the showers before he started laughing in his coach’s face. 

 

* * *

 

Even though he knew the way to the train station by now, Rin walked with him anyway.  They talked a little, about Haruka of course, and Makoto and Nagisa as well, Rin wanting to know more about how they tried to teach Rei and chuckling as Rei related how those past lessons went.

“That sounds exactly like them,” Rin commented, sounding a little wistful from nostalgia.  “But I’ll do better, though.   I helped all three with their swimming, you know, back when we were in elementary school.”

“You did?”  Rei had no idea, he somehow assumed Haruka and Makoto and Nagisa came out of the womb knowing how to swim their respective strokes.

“Yeah.  I wanted us to win so badly, so I worked them hard, I did everything I could to help us improve.  Some of their success is because of me.”

Then that meant he chose the right person as his coach.  “Rin-san really is cool!”

“Did you ever have a doubt?” Rin asked smugly.

“Well… you do cry a lot for a cool person…”

“What?!  What do you know about being cool anyway?!  A nerd who reads books and thinks in math equations all the time wouldn’t know what cool was if it hit him in the head!”

“I, I’ve read the theory!”

“That does not help your case at all!”

The arriving train cut off any further discussion about relative coolness, which was for the best, as neither young man was really qualified to speak about coolness with much expertise.

“I’ll be going now, Rin-san,” Rei said, giving another small bow before he could stop himself.  “Please have a good night.”  Not seeing Rin respond, Rei turned to enter the car.

Just as the doors closed, he heard Rin call out, right at the edge of his hearing, “See you tomorrow, Rei.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd also like to clarify by "canon compliant" I mean, nothing plot-wise has changed except that these two may be banging, and by "no homo" I mean that's what their brains are thinking, but not the rest of them.


	3. The Struggle (Is Real)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin comes to a realization.

For all of his obliviousness, Rei zeroed in on the difference this evening with alarm.

“Wh-what are you doing with that?!” he exclaimed, pointing to the camcorder in Rin’s hands.

“Uh, I’m going to record you swimming?”

“Why?!”

“Because I need to see what you are doing wrong, and I can’t exactly tell from where I am standing,” Rin explained, not understanding the reason for Rei’s horrified expression.   “What’s the big deal?  You’ve been recorded before, right?”

“But that was for the butterfly!  I don’t want there to be video evidence that I can’t swim the other strokes…”

“Relax, no one will see the footage, it’s just for my reference. I’ll destroy it right after I’m done, I promise.”

That did not seem to reassure Rei any, who stood wringing his hands instead of getting into the water.

“Fine,” Rin said with an exasperated glare, “I won’t use the camcorder, I’ll use my phone, it’s locked.  Not even Nitori knows my password, so your secret will be safe.”  Without waiting for an answer, Rin set the device aside on a bench and retrieved his phone from his bag nearby.  Then striding up to Rei, he put his arm around him and quickly snapped a photo of them both before Rei could even protest.

“Rin-san!  Delete it right now!” Rei shouted, reaching for the phone.

“What, I was testing the lighting!” Rin replied with a laugh as he maneuvered away from Rei and also the pool.  Still grinning, he checked the photo, while Rei huffed disapprovingly at him over his shoulder.  It wasn’t a bad shot, even if Rei’s mouth was hanging slightly open in surprise, the moonlight shining through the glass ceiling of the building flattered his hair and sparkled in his eyes.

“That is not a beautiful picture at all, I wasn’t ready!”

“Too bad, I’m keeping it.”  Forever.  “Now get in the water, you’re wasting time.”

Rei looked like he wanted to get one last word in, but finally had to concede the point, and at Rin’s nod, he dove into the pool.  The following front crawl actually looked worse than yesterday’s, and Rin had him do it again as it was not worth recording.  The same went for the breast stroke and back stroke, Rei managing to sink in record time during each attempt.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Rei?” Rin asked as soon as he made his way back to the starting block.  “That was terrible.  Are you even trying?”

“Of course I am trying!”

“Well, it looks like you’re drowning on purpose or something.  I can’t work with this crap video,” Rin snapped.

“You think this is all me?” Rei retorted.  “I’m doing my best, maybe your coaching is what needs improving!”

Oh hell no.  He did not just go there.  After all the time Rin spent training him and training himself to train him…  Rin set his phone down and marched over to where Rei was standing at the pool’s edge.  He had no shirt collar to grab, so he just smushed his hands around Rei’s face.

“What happened, Rei?  Tell me.”

“Nothing happened,” Rei answered haughtily despite his cheeks being smushed.

“No, there’s something going on.  School?  Did you fail a test today?”

Rei rolled his eyes at that.  “Please, Rin, don’t be absurd.”

“Did you have a fight with Nagisa?  Is there trouble at home?  What?  Do you feel sick?”

“N-no…” Rei muttered, though he seemed suddenly sad for a moment.  “I suppose my stomach feels kind of weird.”

“If you feel sick, then don’t swim!” Is this guy for real, Rin thought.  “It’s not… contagious, is it?”

Laughing, Rei shook his head free from Rin’s grasp.  “No, nothing like that.  I am not ill, Rin-san.”  He tried to smile, a rather watery shadow of his usual.  “Sorry.  I suppose I was a little nervous.  It won’t happen again.”

It all seemed rather odd to Rin, as Rei did not come off as the type to have stage fright.  But maybe he didn’t know as much about Rei as he thought he did.  “Well… we won’t put you on the spotlight anymore if that’s what’s bothering you.  And if you ever don’t feel like swimming, let me know that, too, we can always stop, okay?”

“I want to swim!”  Just like that, Rei seemed to have recovered from whatever had been afflicting him, looking bright and keen once more.  Rin shook his head, bemused as ever, and followed him into the water.

 

* * *

 

That keenness disappeared the second Rei realized that Rin was actually standing right next to him instead of the adjoining lane, was actually going to put his arm underwater to support him while he tried to swim.  Screaming, Rei bolted back upright, nearly giving Rin a bloody nose and himself a low grade concussion.

“Don’t tell me, are you ticklish, too?!  Jesus Christ, Rei, relax,” Rin admonished him. 

Sighing loudly, Rei rubbed at his eyes with one hand.  “But you were putting your arm under my stomach, Rin-san!”

“Where else can I put it?  We aren’t close enough friends for me to support you anywhere else.”

There was a brief moment as the two young men considered the fact that they were holding each other in an awkward half-embrace in the middle of a pool by themselves under an unnecessarily romantic starry sky.

“Look, this is how my dad taught me to swim, it worked for me back then, it’ll work for you now, so stop freaking out for once and let me help you,” Rin said, all in one breath.  He knew his face was bright red, probably as scarlet as Rei’s, but he felt determined to finish what he started.

“Haruka-senpai already tried to-”

“I’m not Haru!”  His voice was so loud it echoed in the empty facility, startling them both.  Rin froze, catching Rei’s wide-eyed expression, immediately feeling like shit.  He hadn’t meant to shout like that.  There wasn’t any reason to, why did he do it?

“I’m not, okay?  I know what I’m doing, Rei,” he said more quietly.

“Of course.”  Rei gave him an unreadable look, then almost poked his eyes out again trying to push up his glasses, but elegantly recovered and adjusted his goggles instead.  With a slight smile, he poked at Rin’s shoulder.  “If you would please let go, Rin-san, so we can start?”

“Oh.  Right.”  Realizing he still had his arm about Rei, Rin pulled back slightly to let him get into position, then held his arms underwater, a short distance below Rei’s torso.  Far enough away to not tickle him, but close enough to easily catch him if he began sinking.

“Okay, just go slowly now, Rei,” Rin told him.  “I will be right here, I won’t let you fall, trust me.” 

They went over the strokes in slow motion, Rin making Rei go through each movement carefully in order to perfect his angles and timing and to get used to well, the feeling of not sinking.  Of course, it was a lot easier for a fully grown man to guide a four year old boy through the water than two equally sized teens, and Rin could not always catch up even with Rei going his slowest.  Still, they made it work long enough to get Rei back to a solid starting point of not immediately drowning when he tried to swim.

Every now and then Rin would reach out and correct Rei’s arm placement or torso alignment with a light touch, conscientious to not linger despite the overwhelming desire to.  There wasn’t that much to correct; like he had noticed earlier, Rei got the basics memorized, but Rin figured he might as well instill good habits while he still had some influence.

Not surprisingly, Rei would occasionally accidentally whack him on the chest during the backstroke or kick him in the abdomen during the breast stroke, garbling out an apology each time he messed up.  Honestly though, Rin did not feel much pain, just a burst of brilliant heat where their bodies made contact.

Rei may have calmed down during the lesson, but Rin was starting to feel the opposite.

Which was bad.  Really bad.  Like, he could feel the non-existent hair on his forearms stand on end just by the warmth emanating from Rei’s body through the water kind of bad.  Like, he might need to get out of the pool while Rei was facing a different direction and make a dash for the showers kind of bad.  Rin told himself it was just a physical reaction from being so close to someone after isolating himself for years, a normal hormonal response due to his age and active state, any number of sensible and logical lies that made absolutely no difference to the very real reality his body was experiencing.

“How was that, Rin-san?” Rei asked him from some distance down the lane, looking a bit annoyed, like he had to ask twice already.

“It was fine,” Rin replied shortly, trying to bring himself down from his guilty daydreaming.  He was pretty sure he hadn’t been watching that last attempt at the backstroke, which most likely still sucked, or if he had, he was not observing what he really should be observing.  No need to tell Rei that, however.

“Uh, just keep in mind all the corrections I made to your form for now.  We’ll work on the timing and the rest later.”  After he checked the videos, oh God, maybe… maybe he should not be looking at any video of Rei in the near future.

“You think it is my timing, Rin-san?” Rei asked, staring at Rin intently.

“Among other things.”

“What other things?”

“I’d say… pretty much everything.”

Rei clutched at his hair and made an exasperated squawking noise while Rin tried to suppress a laugh.

“You’ll be fine, Rei.  We’re getting there.”

Luckily, by the end of their session, the rest of Rin’s body seemed to have gotten the message to calm the fuck down, so he could join Rei in the showers, the one furthest away from him at any rate, without giving anything away.   Rin even felt in control of himself enough to offer to walk Rei back to the train station afterwards.

“Thank you, Rin-san,” Rei said, refusing him politely, “but you must be tired.  I know the way back, I can go by myself.”

“Well, if I’m tired, then you probably are, too.  It won’t be a problem.”

There was still a trace of uncertainty in Rei’s smile, and he continued somberly.  “I just… I realized today that I am asking a lot of you, to train me and to also keep it secret.  I don’t want to impose any further.  It is not so easy for me already, I cannot imagine how much more difficult it is for you, in your third year, with your studies and other responsibilities…”

“You’re thinking this is a bad idea after all?  Don’t be stupid,” Rin told him.  “I want you to succeed, and if not knowing the other strokes stresses you out and results in your team not doing its best against mine, then yeah, I’d do whatever I can to help you.  I’m not going to give you any more tips on the butterfly, of course, but I can do this much.  As a fellow swimmer, and as a… friend.”

Rei stopped mid-step to look at him, his eyes doing that sparkling shimmering thing again, and Rin had to look away because he was just too much, this was too much.

“Rin-san…”

He felt his hand grabbed in Rei’s own warm ones, and Rin glanced up automatically.

“I know I can’t really help you with your schoolwork,” Rei told him, radiating an aura of earnestness like an extremely nerdy angel, “and I don’t live close enough to run other errands, but… please, is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Just swim better next time.”  Rin took his hand back before he spontaneously combusted from the cuteness. 

“Rin-san, I’m serious.”

“Focus on your swimming, that will be enough for me.”

“All right.  But I won’t accept just that,” Rei murmured.

They bade each other goodbye, and soon Rei was on his way back to Iwatobi, with Rin staring after the train long after it had passed out of sight.

 

* * *

 

Now alone, Rin walked glumly back to his dorm room, not even bothering to acknowledge Sousuke’s jibes when he entered.  He pulled out his books to study and maybe read ahead, but gave up after he spent twenty minutes staring at the same passage, unable to get more than three words in.  This was hopeless, he thought in despair.

Rin jumped at the sound of a loud thunk on his desk, shocked out of his musing, and finally focused on the soda can Sousuke had placed in front of him.

“What?” he growled.

“You looked thirsty,” Sousuke said with an almost pitying smile.

“Uh, thanks, Sousuke.”  He popped the tab and took a sip, but the flavor and carbonation seemed staler than usual.

“Did you want to talk about it?”

“I think… I may have made a mistake.”  He didn’t say anything else, didn’t have to.  Sousuke would understand.

“You’ll fix it, eventually.”

“I hope so.”

Later that night, Rin found he could not get to sleep despite feeling tired.  He tossed and turned, adjusted his pillow and blankets, but still he felt adrift, as if floating in a limitless ocean alone.  And all he could think about was the feeling of Rei’s body as it slipped through his hands, how warm and solid and real he felt, how different he was from Haruka, whom he could never touch, let alone catch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to write down some ideas I had that may never be touched upon again, so I’m glad others decided to come along for the ride, thank you! But as a warning, these next 2 chapters will still be about swim training, I know, it’s like I’m writing fic about a swimming anime or something.  
> Also, I guess I wrote an alternate universe where they do/will have sexy times, filled for a kink meme prompt (Wetness,) however, neither story is directly related to the other. But maybe I’ll try to write more in the alternate storyline there, if I find another good prompt or something. Anyway, thanks for reading, I’m so pleased y’all are putting up with me having watched ep 3 of Eternal Summer like 20 times.


	4. Dry Your Tears With Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are in too deep, and don't even know it.

At the start of the lesson, Rin seemed a little distant, more reserved than during previous nights, though he offered mostly positive commentary and a somewhat strained smile whenever Rei looked directly at him.  Rei had not wanted to say anything about it, needing to focus on his swimming instead in the limited time they had together.  So he pushed himself hard, trying to find that ideal middle ground between perfect concentration and practiced ability, that natural zone in which he could swim the butterfly, that he was striving to reach in order to master the other strokes.  But even with Rin’s strong arms supporting him, his voice gently coaching him, Rei could not manage to keep up more than a few strokes before sinking to the bottom of the pool.  He was making absolutely no progress at all.

After the eighth reiteration of this, Rei shot up to the surface, pulling off his goggles in irritation, and glancing over at Rin, at the pity or disappointment apparent in his expression, he felt his face burn hot with shame.

Wading over to Rin with huge splashes, Rei let out a frustrated sob as he grabbed Rin by the shoulders, as if he could not stand on his own anymore, as if Rin was the only thing keeping him from drowning.

“Why?!” Rei cried out, voice cracking humiliatingly, his eyes welling up with uncontrollable tears.  “Why can’t I swim?!  I understand every single word you have said like I have not been able to understand anyone else, I applied all of your coaching advice to my actions 100%, I cannot visualize a more perfect example of what I am supposed to do.  But I still can’t do it, Rin-san!  Is it impossible after all? Am I not meant to swim any other stroke?  How can I show my face to the rest of the team, how can I become a proper senpai like this, if even you cannot succeed in teaching me?  What more can I do?!  Rin-san!”  Rei choked on a sob that caught at his throat, and unable to continue his outburst, he scrubbed at his eyes furiously.

Then he felt warmth envelope him, arms wrapping around his shoulders as Rin pressed against him comfortingly.  There was a brief moment of awkwardness as he tried to figure out where to put his head with someone his height and eventually decided on resting his chin against Rei’s shoulder, his long damp hair brushing Rei’s cheek.

“Hey, don’t cry now, Mr. Cool.”

In lieu of an intelligible response, Rei made a stifled whimpering noise while he attempted to inconspicuously wipe his runny nose on the back of his hand.

“Seriously, you’re going to make the water all salty, that’s gross.”

Rei could not help letting out a laugh that was more exhalation than anything else.  “I-I’m sorry, Rin-san.”

“I’ll let it go this one time.”

He felt Rin pat him lightly on the back a few times, and though the other swimmer obviously did not have much experience comforting someone, Rei felt the heavy, aching doubt in his chest ease somewhat, to be replaced by that warm, fluttering lightness that he had not yet learned to ignore.  The two of them stepped back a little, smiling slightly, but not meeting each other’s eyes.

“Let’s umm, get out of the water for a bit, okay?”  Rin led Rei back to the side of the pool, and they clambered out to the benches by the wall.  “And let me find you a tissue, too.”

“Thank you, Rin-san.”

Somehow Rin produced a package of tissues from his bag, no doubt for his “allergies” and not for any other reason, and Rei had to stop him before he held the tissue up to his nose and told him to blow as if he were a mother looking after a five year old.

“Do you feel better now, Rei?”

“Yes.  Thank you again,” Rei answered meekly, crumpling the soggy tissues in his hand.

“And before you ask, I do have a little sister, believe it or not.” Rin added, as if what he just did for Rei was completely normal and not unexpected of someone who had previously communicated mostly through shouting and sulking and manhandling others.  “Look, if you don’t feel like swimming anymore, we can stop for tonight.”

“No, no,” Rei interrupted, shaking his head.  “I don’t want to waste any more of your time, Rin-san.  I still want to try again, if that will be all right.”

“Sure, if you insist.  Actually, let’s take a break first, and we’ll try something different afterwards.”

Nodding, Rei watched in silence as Rin went to retrieve some fresh water bottles.  He sniffed once more and got up to toss the tissues into a trash bin.  With nothing else to do, Rei started some warm-up stretches, even though he felt suitably heated from head to toe already, when Rin returned with the water bottles, pausing mid-step to watch him appraisingly.

“Here, catch,” Rin said, tossing him one once he straightened up.

While the two of them sat down on the benches to rest, Rei took a sip of water, and Rin glanced at him sidelong, his cheeks reddening a little.

“Sorry if I got into your personal space without permission back then, couldn’t uh, help myself.”

“I should be asking for your forgiveness for grabbing you first,” Rei responded, as Rin’s embarrassment caused him to feel embarrassed in turn. “Umm… Again.”

Rin cracked an honest smile, clearly remembering how their very first encounter had transpired, all those months ago.

“Though I feel at this point,” Rei continued, putting a hand up to his face but remembering just in time that he was not wearing his glasses, “you should not feel obliged to ask permission from me, as you already have had your hands all over my person, several times, and I, you.”

Rin’s eyebrows began to rise, and Rei’s face flushed even hotter as he realized what that must have sounded like, but instead of shutting up, his mouth went right on rambling, to his horror.

“I mean, it seems we are clearly at the stage in our relationship where it should be understood, i-in the context of our time together, that we are merely performing actions as would be deemed necessary for success, and explicit consent has already been given, to the extent that such physical contact would be sure to result in b-benefit of a hopefully mutual kind…”

Rin had begun coughing on his water, covering his mouth with his hand as he tried to regain his breath.

“Are you all right, Rin-san?”  When Rin did not answer immediately, Rei blurted out, “I’ve studied how to perform CPR, don’t worry, I can save you!”

Which only made Rin double over with an even more violent bout of coughing.  Waving a concerned Rei away, Rin eventually recovered after a few more seconds of gasping.

“I’m fine, really, I’m fine,” he wheezed.

“Are you sure?” Rei asked, still hovering worriedly over him.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”  Rin flashed him a wavering grin which was meant to reassure him and did quite the opposite.  “What I’m not as sure about is wanting to be the first person you practice CPR on.”

Rolling his eyes, Rei made a noise of exasperation at this answer.  “You will change your mind about that someday when you are turning blue from lack of oxygen, and I happen to be the only one around.”

“I’m just teasing! I’m sure you’ll resuscitate me perfectly on the first try if I ever need it.”

“Absolutely!  This is Rin-san’s life at stake here!”

“Being alive is pretty necessary to winning gold at the Olympics, I agree.  So now that we have that figured out…”  Rin set his water bottle down on the bench and then took a deep breath before clapping his hands together once.  “Okay, this new swimming style I’m gonna teach you, I think it will help you a lot.  It’ll be a change of pace for one thing, and maybe you can pick up something useful.”

For some reason, Rei had a feeling of déjà vu about this, and he frowned in trepidation.  “A different stroke?  Is it… a humanly possible stroke by any chance?”

“Of course it is, are you kidding me?” Rin scoffed.  “Trust me, anyone can do it!  You’ll get the hang of it right away.”

That was still not very comforting, Nagisa had said something similar, hadn’t he?  As it turned out, he had dreamed up the whole incident while falling asleep during class, but regardless, Rei still felt wary of Rin’s ever-widening grin as they headed into the water again.

“Very well.  What do I need to do?” Rei asked Rin, who was standing in the next lane over.

“First hold your arms out in front of you,” Rin instructed him, but curiously not demonstrating at the same time.  “Now lower them, by about 30 degrees.  You will be making a sweeping motion on the vertical axis, down and out then back to the front… Right, completely underwater.  Then… sort of flutter kick with your legs, also underwater.  But you’ll mostly be pulling yourself forward with your arms.  Got it?”

Giving him an odd look, Rei attempted to do as Rin instructed.  He sank, which had been no surprise to anyone, then he immediately surfaced, shouting, “Did you just try to teach me the doggy paddle?!”

Rin sputtered and gave into the laughter he had been holding back.  It then became clear that he was also trying to say something to the effect of, “You couldn’t even do it, too!” but he could barely gasp it out, not even after several tries.  Rei watched as Rin eventually succumbed and started crying giddily.  Not nearly as amused as his coach, Rei stalked off and climbed out of the pool.

Rin tried to follow suit, but his laughing, along with the coughing/choking fiasco beforehand, had caused him to cramp, and he could hardly hold his weight long enough to pull himself out.

“Rei, help me out here!” he gasped in between giggles.

Rei stared at him stonily.  Then he leaned over, stretching out one arm for Rin to grab.  Easily, he hauled Rin out of the water, as if he weighed nothing, just to lull him into thinking all was forgiven, before he dropped him unceremoniously back into the pool.

“What the fuck, man?!”

Fighting the ache racking his stomach, Rin surged up to grab Rei’s ankle and yank him down into the water.  While he struggled to the surface, Rin hooked one leg over Rei’s shoulder, using him as a human stepping stone to slither onto the poolside.  Immediately, Rei grabbed him around the waist and hauled him back down again.  Evenly matched, it took at least five minutes of yelling and wrestling and splashing before they gave up trying to get one over the other and just clung sadly to the edge of the pool, panting.

“So much for not wasting time,” Rei grumbled.

“No, it wasn’t a complete waste,” Rin commented, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I think your doggy paddle kick looked good, you should keep it in mind for the front crawl.”

Just the memory of Rei failing the doggy paddle caused Rin to weakly laugh again, and watching him, his eyes crinkling up in amusement, his entire face lit up from the hilarity of the mental picture, Rei could not help but join in.  Even though he was tired and frustrated and would have to stay up another two hours to finish his studies, even though he had cried out of hopelessness not more than fifteen minutes ago, he let out a loud, breathless laugh that shook his body.  All of the distress stewing around in his belly seemed to dissipate a little with each deep chuckle that escaped out of his mouth, and soon Rei had to wipe at his wet eyes as he tried to settle down.

“You feel better now, like I promised, right?” Rin asked, still grinning.

“Yes,” Rei answered, smiling despite himself, “but I suspect that was mostly for your benefit.”

Rin nodded, not even pretending to deny it.  “Yeah, I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in months.”

“You’re welcome,” Rei said dryly, though he did not feel too upset at being the object of a joke, for once.  Hearing Rin laugh so heartily was not the worst thing that could have happened, he rather liked the sound.  On the other hand, Rei counted himself fortunate that no one else was around to see him mess up the doggy paddle, of all things.

“I promise, I won’t do that to you again, Rei.  At least for a while.  If I can help it.  I can’t guarantee it, though.  Sorry in advance if I do.”

“It’s fine, Rin-san.  Thank you for putting up with me and my request in the first place.”

“Ah, well, I don’t mind,” Rin murmured, glancing away and rubbing the back of his neck.  “I kinda like coaching, it’s fun.  I wish I could do it more often, I don’t really get the chance these days with the team…”

“I think you are an excellent coach, Rin-san, I only wish I could meet your expectations.”

“You’ll get there, Rei.  Nowhere to go but up from here.”

As neither one was in any shape to really swim, but not wanting to leave early either, Rin ended up pulling Rei along by the hands while he practiced his flutter kick up and down the lanes.  Just for a little while, until it was time to leave and get Rei back to the train station.

 

* * *

 

Rin walked with him afterwards, and Rei did not try to refuse his company this time.  They remained mostly silent during the trek, and even when the two sat down on the bench to wait for the train, four centimeters carefully separating their bodies, there was only a comfortable silence between them.  Turning to face Rin, Rei finally opened his mouth to speak, just as Rin glanced up, lips parted.

“You go first,” and “No, you go first,” were exchanged back and forth, until Rin finally said, “Fine, I’ll go first.”  His face practically emanating pinkness, he cleared his throat nervously, tucked his hair back behind his ear, while Rei watched him with a patient smile.

Rin really was something else, Rei thought fondly, seeing a little of why Haruka and Makoto and Nagisa could not let go of him, after all these years, knowing him for such a brief time.

“So uhh… I was wondering if you could do me a favor,” Rin began.

“Yes, of course, anything.”

“It’s just a little thing,” Rin said, somewhat under his breath, so Rei had to lean in close to understand what he was saying.  “I was wondering if you could text me before you go to sleep.  Just to let me know you got home safely.”

“Certainly, I can do that,” Rei answered promptly, before adding, “Is there any particular reason why, Rin-san?”

“You’ve been swimming for what, four hours every night on top of school, can’t imagine how tired you must be feeling after five days of this.  I don’t want you to fall asleep and miss your stop and have to find another way home.  I’d feel responsible… if anything happened… So yeah, just text me,” Rin trailed off gruffly after that, ears still glowing red.

Even though they did not go to the same school, even though they were on rival teams for the upcoming meet, Rin still wanted to look out for him.  As if they really were good friends.  Rei felt his poor bruised heart quake with a strange and boundless joy at this attention, and he had to remind himself that this was nothing special or out of the ordinary, just a captain being captain-like, a senior looking after someone their junior.  Rin was after all, technically a friend of his friends, and a trusted acquaintance only by serendipity.  Nothing deeper than that.

“Thank you for the concern, Rin-san, I will be sure to text you as soon as I get home,” Rei promised.

“Good.”

It seemed a rather minor request for all of the nervousness Rin had just displayed, and Rei had to ask, “Is there anything else?”

“What?  Why would there be anything else?”

“Nothing, nothing.  I just thought…”

The four centimeters that had separated them had long since disappeared, and Rin’s face was so close to his own that his breath stirred a few loose strands of hair.  They were not in contact, yet this somehow felt more intimate than when Rin had hugged him in the pool.  Rei swallowed at the dryness in his throat, unable to tear his gaze away, captivated by the way the moonlight fell silvery over Rin’s features and glimmered in his eyes, which held a beautiful softness Rei had never seen directed at him before.

“What was that?” Rin murmured, his head tilting slightly.

“What?” Rei asked breathlessly.

“You were saying something?  What you thought?”

“I-I didn’t say anything!” Rei squawked, moving his hand up to adjust his glasses.  “You must be hearing things.”

“Your lips were totally moving!” Rin retorted.  “Anyway, I thought we made it clear you’d tell me what you thought!”

“Even if I was thinking something, which I wasn’t, but if I were, it would not be something I would just tell you!”

“Why not?!  I am keeping all of your secrets, aren’t I? You can tell me anything!”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Rei ground out, “I was thinking… logically, you should call me instead.”

“What?  How would that be a favor to me, if I have to do something?!”

“That way you would be able to wake me up if I did fall asleep on the train.”

“No way, I can’t do that.  I uhh… Sousuke would definitely overhear.”

“Well then, that was why I didn’t say anything.”

Rin scowled, certainly thinking to himself that that was not the whole story but not wanting to dig any deeper.  He crossed his arms and huffed and then said, “…But you’re saying it’s okay if I call you?  Like anytime?”

“Ah, my train is here!” Rei exclaimed, bouncing to his feet as the train rolled to a squealing stop.  “I have to go, but thank you, Rin-san!”

“We’ve got team practice all weekend, so I’ll see you Monday.   Don’t forget, Rei!”

“I won’t!”

 

 

* * *

 

Despite his exhaustion, Rei did not miss his stop home, although he might have dozed off for a second once or twice.  As soon as he set his backpack down on the floor of his bedroom, he texted Rin, who replied immediately, telling him to sleep.  Unfortunately, Rei had a quiz the next day to study for, his notes to review, reading to stay on top of, and by the time he got ready for bed, the clock had struck midnight long ago.  Laying awake in the darkness, he checked his phone for any more messages from Nagisa or Gou, then set it on his nightstand, before grabbing it again.

The last text from before tonight was dated a while ago, as Rei never had any real need to contact Rin ever since their first confrontation last year, and the majority of their interactions afterwards took place face to face.  It was late, and he did not want the notification sound to wake Rin from his sleep, but he felt he could not go to sleep without answering Rin’s question first.

**Yes, you can call me anytime.**

Rei pressed send and quickly put his phone back on the nightstand.  Not more than three minutes later, his phone rang, this time for a call, and he scrambled for it, almost dropping it in the pitch black.

“Rin-san?” he whispered.

“Go the fuck to sleep, Rei.”  From the sound of it, he must be in a stairwell or something similar, Rei thought.

“I was sleeping.”

“Liar.  You were studying, weren’t you?” Rin muttered.

“I am going back to sleep now!  I just got up to answer you properly.”

“Yeah, I got that.  So, you want me to sing you a lullaby or something while I’m on the phone?”

“I am not a baby, Rin-san.”

“You’re a baby in the swimming world.  What does your mom sing to you as a lullaby?  The periodic table of elements?”

“Very funny.  If that is all, I will be hanging up now.”

“Hydrogen… Helium…”

Neither one was willing to let the other have the last word, so it was nearly three thirty in the morning by the time Rei set his phone back down for hopefully the last time.  He should be berating himself for his lack of self-control, staying up so late on a school night talking on the phone, but instead, he put his hands up to his mouth, as if they could do anything to wipe the glowing smile from his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, this whole project is just one big messed-up, self-indulgent mess, I am so sorry. I hope y'all keep on reading to its bitter end and then read the laughable sequel, but if you don’t, I understand completely. I just... want them to be in love so much, I can't stop writing... /lies down, tries to not cry, cries a lot


	5. Ultimate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin has worked hard to build his own ultimate team. So far they seem to be just ultimately annoying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though this new material is kinda fucking me over for finishing my fics, I wrote up a mini-chapter to thank everyone who commented and left kudos and bookmarks and subscriptions. It means a lot to me that you trust me with these nerds and want to maybe read more of my writing maybe. So yep, this is just a little from Rin’s point of view, before we get to the actual chapter with rinrei action. Thank you again for reading!

Rin had just managed to pull through that last lesson with his dignity intact, and frankly that final prank that left him gasping for breath had been a literal godsend for extinguishing certain latent feelings best left for another time and place and preferably universe.  It did get a little awkward later, while they were waiting for the train. He hadn’t noticed how natural it felt for them to be so close until Rei suddenly scooted backward and he realized they were almost sitting in each other’s laps.  And then the phone call, which he should have never made, and yet did not regret any minute of doing so, not even when he dozed off in class the next morning and Sousuke, that asshole, just watched him until he fell out of his chair in the middle of a lecture.  And also laughed the loudest when the teacher reprimanded him.

“You’re lucky that was my first time I got caught sleeping in history, Sousuke.  I’m thinking ten laps tonight, butterfly and free.”

“How about… I do two laps of each, and next time you fall asleep after staying up all night talking to your new boyfriend, I will wake you up before the teacher notices.”

Rin raised an eyebrow.  “Ok, first off, I don’t have a boyfriend, and second, you’d do no such thing.”

“You’re right.  Fine, I’ll also handle Momotarou this weekend.”

“Deal.  And again, Rei’s not my boyfriend.”

Sousuke said very slowly, “Funny.  I never actually said I thought _Rei_ was your boyfriend.  But thanks for confirming it.”

Rin paused, unable to think of an appropriate reply through the loud “Shiiiiiiiiiiiiit” and also “Fuuuuuuuuuck” currently running through his brain.

Sousuke grinned at him, all smug amusement.  “So I’m guessing he was the one you were talking to until 3 in the morning on a school night?  I thought you said he was a nerd.  He must really like you to do that then.”

“Shut up.”

“Yeah, you have this problem completely under control, I can tell.”

Red-faced, Rin kneed Sousuke in the hip. 

 

* * *

 

 

That weekend’s practice went as smoothly as could be expected.  Without Rei and all of the multitude of issues that accompanied him to worry about, Rin felt he was at last able to fully concentrate on his own team’s performance for three days’ worth of practice.  He helped Nitori time the swimmers who had put their names into the upcoming competition, jotting down their times, congratulating anyone who beat a personal best, and encouraging the rest to keep up their training regimens.  The rest of the team responded in kind, and the energy in the building definitely sparked with imminent victory.

As he promised, Sousuke kept an eye on Momotarou, who at the moment looked like he had just hit his head against the pool wall again.  Making an irritated noise, Rin stalked over to them and had Momotarou swim, more steadily this time, from one end of the pool to the other, counting aloud with him until he could pinpoint exactly at which number stroke he should prepare for the turn.

“As long as he doesn’t grow seven centimeters before the competition, he should be fine.  He’s got good form otherwise, so I hope that remains the case.”

Nitori, who had been watching Momotarou intently, glanced at Rin and nodded.

“So… how are you doing, Nitori?  Anything come up I should know about?”

Suddenly put in the spotlight, Nitori stammered out, “I-I’ve decided to concentrate on breast stroke for now, Rin-senpai, instead of free.”

“Oh… okay, sounds like a plan.”  Not sure of what else to say, Rin said, “Well, I’m sure you’ll pull through just fine.  Keep me updated, all right?”

“Yes, of course, Rin-senpai!”

 Working his way through the rest of the club members, Rin made it back to where Sousuke was finishing up his swimming for the night.  Sousuke’s own times in free and butterfly had been holding steady at a decent number, so Rin let him go after the two laps and dove in to put in some practice of his own.

When he reached the wall, Sousuke told him he beat a personal best, and Rin slapped the water in triumph, letting out a laugh.

“Wow, Captain is in top form and a good mood today?!” Uozomi commented, just loud enough to be overheard by pretty much everyone in the pool.  “Must be the end of the world.”

“Whatever.”  Rin rolled his eyes.  As if him being happy for swimming well could be so out of the realm of imagination.

“Did you get laid or something, Captain?” Minami asked, also a little too loudly.

“Huh?!” Rin said in a not screeching tone of voice. 

 “Hey, way to go!” Iwashimizu chirped, while the others began to look over to see what the commotion was about.

“No way, do I even look like I have time to--?”

“So, is she hot?” Uozomi asked.

“Of course, she must be a total knock-out!  Matsuoka’s gotta have the best.”

Which started off a round of conversation not befitting a group of disciplined young athletes, as the Samezuka swim team tried to guess the identity of Rin’s non-existent girlfriend.

“I bet she’s in university, you know, someone mature.”

“Nah, she has to be younger.”

“Someone from Sano?  Or Iwatobi High then?”

“It’s gotta be Iwatobi, Captain’s always over there, isn’t he?”

Raising his voice, Rin hollered over them, “Unless you all want to lose the ability to satisfy your own girlfriends, shut up right now and mind your own business!  And get back to swimming!”

Climbing out of the pool, Rin shot a dirty glare at Sousuke.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Good.”

“They were getting pretty close though,” Sousuke added, dodging another back of the knee kick.

 

* * *

 

 

Saturday was more of the same, practice improving times, quickening exchanges, streamlining techniques…  Although Rin could tell they were still discussing his non-existent girlfriend, and just for that, he resolved to never ever go easy on Uozomi or Minami again.

“Hey, do you think she could be one of his little sister’s friends?”

Rin walked right up to Iwashimizu and kicked out the offending boy’s knees, sending him sprawling into the pool, yelping.

“Anyone else have anything to say?!” he shouted.

The rest of the team grew deathly silent.

“Is she ugly, is that why you don’t want to talk about her?” someone piped up from the back of the crowd, to everyone’s vocal disappointment.

“That’s it!  Everyone runs five extra laps after practice today.”

Rin glared at them as the team let out a chorus of disappointed “awws” while getting back to practice.  Seeing Sousuke and Momotarou standing together, he strode over to them, fuming.

“Was that you, Momotarou?” he asked, gripping the other boy by the shoulder.  “Congratulations, because of you, everyone gets to run extra laps.”

“Rin-senpai, that’s not fair, I was just curious!”  Momotarou pouted, to no effect.  “If you really liked her, you wouldn’t keep her a secret, you’d tell your friends, right?”  Just like he didn’t keep his admiration for Gou a secret from anyone, regardless of friendship status.

“That’s right,” Sousuke agreed.

“Well… I’m not telling you anything, Momo, because there is no girlfriend, and even if there was, you’re not my friend.”

“Noooo, Rin-senpai, don’t say that!” Momotarou cried out in despair.  Then another thought occurred to him.  “Wait, but you’d tell Sousuke-senpai?  You would!”

Oh no.  He turned Momotarou away from Sousuke and marched him to the pool where everyone else was.  “And stay there!  Nitori, keep on eye on him and let me know if anyone tries to skip running.”

“I can’t trust anyone…” Run muttered to himself, running his hands through his hair in distress.  It was going to fall out soon at this rate, he could tell.  And it was all because of Rei!  If he went bald at twenty, he would blame it on Rei for stressing him out and making him moody so that everyone, not just Sousuke, noticed… Why did the other guys notice what was up with him anyway?  He was the captain, so they probably were sensitive to his moods for their own benefit, but still, no one else dared to comment before.  What was so different now?

As secretively as he could, Rin slipped into the locker room and checked his reflection quickly in the mirror, inspecting it for any traces of stress-induced baldness. All he saw was a ridiculously happy face in the glass that was positively shining with… some sappy feelings or something.

Well… that would do it.  He was pretty sure he had gone for stoic these days, apparently not so much.  Rin tried to put on his trademark scowl, but it felt too uncomfortable to keep up for long, even when he thought about the most annoying things he could think of (a lot of things.)  Anyway, as long as he didn’t blush and giggle or sigh dreamily about a romantic interest he most certainly did not have, mildly sappy will have to do for now.

Stepping out, Rin bumped into Sousuke, who for his part was really getting the look of a smug asshole down pat.

“Your hair is fine, Rin.  Rei likes it like that, apparently, so stop fiddling with it.”

“Fuck you.”  Out of the corner of his eye, Rin saw a pale figure hurry away.  “Oh my God.”  Was that Nitori behind Sousuke?  Did he… hear anything?

Practice started only an hour ago, and already Rin wanted to go home.  Then he realized home was spending even more time with these losers in the Samezuka dormitory with minimal privacy, and he groaned aloud at the thought.  The only alternative was going to the house in Iwatobi where his mother and sister lived, and thus confirming the consensus’ suspicions.  No help for it.

“For the team,” he muttered, dragging Sousuke back out to the pool to practice.


	6. Giants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Rei, it doesn't get any easier.

At least it was a controlled fall.  The kind in which one still lands ungracefully on their bottom, but steadily, with only minor injury to the palms of the hands.  No one saw Rei hit the ground as they began swim practice that Friday afternoon. But Gou, who had been on timer duty, was the closest to him, and she heard the slight whimper of pain as he landed suddenly.  Turning to the source of the sound, her eyes widened when she noticed him, and she jogged to his side with a concerned look.

“Are you all right, Rei-kun?”

“I’m fine,” he tried to assure her, though his voice was trembling almost as violently as his body.

Gou knelt closer to him.  “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”  He tried to get to his feet, but to his horror, his legs would not obey and stayed useless, unmoving, on the concrete.

“Rei…”  She touched his shoulder, then drew back her hand quickly.  “You’re soaked.”  He of course hadn’t even gone anywhere near the water yet.  She stood up just as Nagisa was swimming back towards the both of them, wondering aloud why Rei hadn’t already joined them in the pool.

“Nagisa-kun,” Gou told him in a soft urgent voice, beckoning him out of the pool.  “Do you have any sweets with you?”

“I have a strawberry cream bread in my bag,” Nagisa replied as he crouched down beside them, his eyes moving from Rei to Gou then back, trying to get a grasp on the situation.

“Umm, what about real fruit?” Obviously not.  “Candy then.”  A quick nod.  “Hurry and get some for Rei, please.”

Without bothering to dry himself off, Nagisa dashed into the locker room, while Rei concentrated on staying upright and conscious of his surroundings.  A short while later, Nagisa came back with a handful of melon and strawberry candy along with Rei’s water bottle and jacket.  Gou hurriedly unwrapped a few pieces of candy before handing them over.

Gratefully, Rei stuck the candy into his mouth and drank the offered water.  The trembling and sweating eased a little, but he put on his jacket anyway, murmuring his thanks to Gou and Nagisa.  It was not long before Makoto and Haruka at the other end of the pool noticed the absence of their juniors.  Looking curious, Makoto began pulling himself out of the pool, right as Nagisa made his way over to them, likely making up some excuse for Rei.

“What happened, Rei?” Gou asked, her voice a littler sharper than usual.

“I…”  It was hard to think, even harder to form words in this exhausting aftermath, but Rei managed to explain, “I woke up late today and had to skip breakfast.  I ate my bento for lunch, but… I was studying for my next class and did not finish everything.”  At her expression, he added, “That’s all.”

Gou shook her head.  “You should know better than everyone else to not skip meals, especially while going through a ramped up regimen at practice.  Why don’t you rest until you feel better?”

“Are… are you going to tell the others?”

And as he feared, she nodded.

Nagisa’s excuse clearly had no effect, Makoto and Haruka were striding over to them, Nagisa at their heels, and Rei found it difficult to meet their eyes and see the worry there.  He stared instead at the shadows they cast over his body, not wanting to look all the way up and feel any smaller and weaker than he already felt.

“Rei,” Makoto said quietly, after receiving the brief explanation from Gou.  “You don’t have to swim today if you don’t feel well.  You have been making a lot of improvements with your times, so it won’t be a problem to skip practice once.”

“I’m very sorry to worry everyone, I just need a few minutes, then I will be all right,” Rei murmured, still not looking up.

There was a brief silence among the five of them, and Rei could sense without looking Haruka’s impatience to get back into the water.  Suddenly his eyes burned with what he knew would soon become bitter tears.  He had been too careless with himself, so caught up in achieving his surprise, and now his irresponsibility would ruin their practice.  He shouldn’t have tried to strive for the impossible.  He shouldn’t have gone to Rin, and he definitely shouldn’t have gotten so carried away.

Really, Rei shouldn’t even be here at all, trying to swim instead of run.  What was he thinking?  These dreams were just that; dreams, that would never come true for him.

Just as tears threatened to well up behind his eyelashes, he saw a blurry arm stretched out before his face.  Surprised, Rei glanced up to see Haruka offering him a hand, something of gentleness softening his usual cool expression. 

Makoto beside him was saying, “It’s too breezy out right now to swim comfortably, so I think it would be a good idea if we all go clean out the club room together until the wind dies down a little more.”

Haruka just made an affirming noise.

“That’s a good idea, Mako-chan, we don’t want any potential club members coming by to think we’re messy!” Nagisa blurted out, as he took Rei’s other hand, and with Haruka, helped Rei back to his feet. 

“Whatever we clean today, you’ll just get dirty tomorrow, Nagisa-kun,” Gou retorted, while Nagisa laughed in genuine cheerfulness at her lightly reproaching tone.

Even though his knees still shook slightly, Rei was able to follow them into the clubroom, embarrassed still yet comforted by their too-kind support.  He should never forget how lucky he was to have these four as his fellow club members, Rei thought to himself, as he tried to pry his fingers out of Nagisa’s and Haruka’s grasps so that they could get some actual cleaning done.

 

* * *

 

 

They let Rei clear out some unused cubbyholes, where he uncovered a stack of dated magazines and swimming guides tucked into a bottom corner cubby.  Dusting off their covers, Rei flipped through them quickly to see if any of the information could be of use.  He had found an interesting article and was skimming it in silence when he noticed Nagisa crouched beside him on the floor.

“Oh, thank you, Nagisa-kun.”  Rei accepted the candy offered, but did not take the slightly squished cream bread.  Taking it back, Nagisa bit off the head of the pastry and began munching away.

“I’ve skipped breakfast lots of times, even on the days we have practice,” Nagisa began, after swallowing his mouthful.  “I’ve never had any problems starting training.”

The cold sweat Rei thought had been taken care of promptly returned.  “Well… you always have juice and cake for lunch, don’t you, Nagisa-kun?  I was not so fortunate today.”

Nagisa nodded, not disagreeing, still unusually thoughtful.  The slight narrowing of his eyes proved to be more intimidating than any of Rin’s shark-toothed grins, and Rei tried to not give away his nervousness.

“You also fell asleep in class again today.”  Unspoken was the implication that these events all might be connected.

“I haven’t been doing so well following the past several lectures, so I was trying to read ahead last night just in case… I fell asleep again,” Rei admitted, blushing slightly.  That much was true.  But Nagisa was right to question Rei’s explanation.  Skipping one meal once or even two or three times would not be enough to cause hypoglycemic shock in an otherwise healthy young male.  Not if everything else remained the same…

“Take care of yourselves, both of you,” Haruka suddenly interrupted them, before turning his face away and resuming his dusting in a different corner of the room.

“Yes, Haru-chan, we will!”

“Of course, Haruka-senpai!”

Tearing the nutrition article out of the magazine, Rei tucked it into his jacket pocket and put the rest into a bin to be recycled.  By the time thirty minutes had passed, Makoto judged the conditions outside perfect for swimming, and they trooped back outside to put in some more practice.  Rei had managed to scrounge up enough leftovers to fuel some training, but he decided to take it easy and only swim a few laps, and instead spend the rest of the time watching the others swim with a critical eye.  It was actually rather helpful, being able to concentrate without disturbance, and Rei managed to brainstorm several ideas and a few theories for future use.

 

* * *

 

 

“Gou-san,” he said, catching up to her after practice ended. “Thank you again for your help.”

“I am just glad you’re okay now, Rei-kun.  Try to not do that again?”

“I will be more mindful of what I eat, please don’t worry.”  That segued neatly into a question he had just thought of, and smiling, Gou confessed she did not know the answer.

“Onii-chan doesn’t tell me a whole lot about Samezuka, sorry.  I can call him and ask about the cafeteria menu for you, if you want.”

“Err, no, that’s fine.  I think I can find out myself…”

“It won’t be a problem.  Oh, but if you want to follow Onii-chan’s regimen, Rei-kun, you’ll have to pack way more meat into your bento.  I can tell you that part for sure!”

“As much as Makoto-senpai’s?”

“Maybe more, since he doesn’t even like desserts the way Makoto-senpai does,” Gou answered with a fond laugh.  Then she added in a more manager-like tone, “Be careful, okay, Rei-kun?  You work too hard sometimes.  Call us if you need anything, I will get Haruka-senpai to cook breakfast for you if necessary.”

Rei managed a chuckle at the image of Haruka very seriously offering everyone a mackerel-based breakfast.  “I appreciate the thought very much, Gou-san, but I promise this won’t happen again.”

“Promise?”

“I swear.”

“Okay.  I’m counting on you, as our butterfly swimmer and treasurer!”

“I won’t let you down!”

He bade her goodbye and jogged up to Nagisa’s side on the way to the train station.  The train was on time to its destination, and Nagisa was dozing off in the seat beside him when Rei said very quietly, “Thank you again, Nagisa-kun, for the candy.”

Smiling sleepily, Nagisa burrowed his head into Rei’s shoulder with a tired sigh.  “Take me to get waffles tomorrow, Rei-chan, and we’ll be even.”

“Oh, I’m busy tomorrow.”

“What about Sunday?”

“I have to study on Sundays…”

“Rei-chaaan,” Nagisa whined pitifully.

“I’m really sorry, Nagisa-kun.  Maybe next weekend?”

“What if I asked Gou-chan to come with us tomorrow?”  At Rei’s unchanging expression, Nagisa continued, “Mako-chan and his siblings?  Haru-chan?!”  Rei just shook his head no and Nagisa pouted in defeat.  “What could be more important than eating waffles with all of us?!”

“Next weekend, it will be my treat,” Rei assured him, and Nagisa seemed content with that.  Rei hoped so.  He had a lot of research to do this weekend, if he wanted to prepare something perfect for Rin by their Monday training session, and he could not possibly be disturbed, even if eating waffles with everyone did sound wonderful.

Rei would always swim his best for them, his team, and that much would never change.  But Rin, if anyone, would be the one who was going to make that happen.  He had to make the most of this brief time he had with Rin. When they see his beautiful backstroke and breast stroke and freestyle, he felt sure they would understand the sacrifices he made.  Until that day, Rei had to devote his everything to training and to Rin.

Soon, he dozed off to visions of luscious strawberry shortcake and decadent petit fours and delicate macarons, but they all smelled strongly of Korean barbecue in his dream, and he woke up to his train stop feeling hungry and extremely confused.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I could finish this in two chapters, but decided to drag it out for self-indulgence’s sake, hope it doesn’t get too dull. If anyone wants to beta or PM me, I just want to have an honest outside opinion if I’m still writing Rin and Rei in character. I tend to have a very set way of writing characters and never change from that, and clearly I don’t have a beta judging by the amount of spelling mistakes, so if you have any concerns about how the characters are acting, please let me know. Thanks again! I'll uhh try to get to the "drama" as it were... someday... /sobbing

**Author's Note:**

> This fic stems mostly from a thirst for more Rinrei which I tried to slake with my own sub-par writing. My apologies to anyone who read all the way to this point expecting greatness, but I will do my best to soldier on. For the Rinrei team.


End file.
